1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to removing material from a workpiece such as, for example, a turbine engine component.
2. Background Information
A material such as a coating may be removed from a workpiece during manufacture, repair or replacement of a part. For high precision parts, such as turbine engine components, the thickness of the removed material may affect whether the part is in conformance with a specification for that part. The part therefore is typically measured following complete removal of the material to make this determination.
Manual measurement instruments such as micrometers have been used to measure an overall dimension of a part. Such instruments, however, are susceptible to gauge error, user error or variation in the technique of using the measurement instrument. It may also be difficult to visually differentiate between a coating and its underlying substrate. In addition, because the part is often measured with the measurement instrument and/or visually inspected after removing the material, too much of the material may have already been removed from the part before its measurement. The part therefore may no longer conform with its specification.
There is a need in the art for a more accurate technique and system for removing material from a workpiece.